Celebrating 1200+ UAD 3.6 Orders Completed Before Mandate Day

UAD 3.6 is now mandatory.

For much of the industry, mandate day marked the beginning of the transition. For Opteon, it's the continuation of work already underway. We've delivered more than 1,200 UAD 3.6 orders for over 80 customers, giving us an early view into what happens when readiness becomes reality.

What We've Learned From 1,200+ UAD 3.6 Orders

The question we hear most often is whether UAD 3.6 will slow turnaround times. So far Opteon Staff appraisers are completing UAD 3.6 orders in an average of 4.5 business days or less in our staff markets, consistent with performance under UAD 2.6.

Quality is holding as well. Underwriting performance on UAD 3.6 is in line with 2.6 orders. Opteon’s INTARA and the AI QC tool built into JaroDesk support our reviewers, but the final call on every report still sits with an experienced professional.

The systems side is done. With 97% of US counties covered and all integration updates complete, there is nothing left on our end for lenders to wait on.

What early adoption taught us

Starting early meant meeting the friction points early. The ones appraisers raise most often are the learning curve in their software, extra time spent on inspection and data entry, and warnings on the Submission Summary Report (SSR). On the review side, we've seen reports where market graphs were missing or were too small to read. UAD 3.6 doesn't build those exhibits, so legibility depends on the tools each appraiser uses.

Across the wider market, turn times and fees are likely to be most volatile during this first stretch and settle as appraisers complete more reports. Our teams worked through the learning curve before the deadline arrived, enabling us to be 100% ready today.

Because our teams were processing live UAD 3.6 orders many months ahead of the mandate, we encountered these challenges before many lenders reached production.

What changes now

Beginning today, new appraisal reports submitted to UCDP must be delivered in UAD 3.6 unless a formal extension has been approved. New reports submitted in UAD 2.6 will receive a fatal message.

Reports originally submitted in UAD 2.6 before mandate day may continue to be revised in UAD 2.6 using the existing Document File ID until retirement on May 3, 2027.

Where can I find answers to UAD 3.6 questions?

Everything above, and a lot more, is covered in the Opteon UAD 3.6 Search Engine. It's a searchable Q&A on the new URAR, mandate timelines, technology, and what changes for lenders and appraisers, including practical questions like adding a rent schedule after completion, what replaced the 1004D, and how FHA submissions work in EAD 3.6. New questions are added regularly, and you can send us yours from the same page.

For anything else, our UAD 3.6 support team is at Opteon3.6Support@opteonusa.com.

What you should do now

For lenders

Check that your engagement letters, ordering workflows and overlays reference the URAR rather than legacy form numbers, and order rent schedules at intake when you need them. If you're evaluating your valuation strategy under UAD 3.6, our team is available to discuss coverage, workflows, and implementation lessons learned from more than 1,200 completed orders.

For AMCs

Watch revision trends closely over the next few months. Early 3.6 reports will surface software and data-entry issues that are easier to address across a panel than one order at a time.

For appraisers

Run the UAD Compliance API through your software before submitting, so completeness and validity issues are caught before UCDP sees the report.

Let's Celebrate Mandate Day!

Mandate day represents the culmination of months of preparation across lending, appraisal, technology, and operations teams. If you're one of the people who helped make this transition possible, we'd love to celebrate with you.

Claim your free UAD 3.6 Ready sticker, share a photo on LinkedIn, and tag the colleagues, partners, and teammates who helped you get here.